Scared Roams Freely
by StephenDaedalus
Summary: Ruby and the others have left for various destinations, and Scaredy have to take care of the house. But soon the little bat will figure out how terrifying is staying all alone in an empty house.
1. Leaving home

**This is my first Ruby Gloom fanfic, so critics are accepted. As I can see this is the first Scaredy-centered fanstory. I hope you'll like it.**

Chapter 1: Leaving home

That day Scaredy woke up with a terrible bad feeling. "Today something terrible will happen. Oh dear." he thinked. Then he went downstairs for having breakfast.

But, when he arrived in the kitchen, he saw that his friends aren't here. "That's strange, this usually is breakfast-time. Oh dear, probably my foreboding was true, and something really bad was happened!".

"Hey Scaredy."

"AAAAAAHHHHH!...Oh, that's you Ruby, you scared me." Scaredy ran to meet his friends Ruby and Skullboy. "Why aren't you having breakfast? And where are the others?".

"Did not we tell you? Skullboy and I are going to do a romantic...ehhh,I mean... a roaming trip around Gloomsville."

"But, but, you can't leave us! How we can stay without you!"

"Oh, don't worry, Scaredy, we'll come back soon."

"By the way, where are the others?"

"Iris is left with Squig, Frank and Len are in tour, and Poe is gone to a 'Really important reunion'"

"And Misery?"

"No one know where she is. I haven't seen her yet."

Scaredy opened his eyes wide:"WHAT! You mean that I have to stay ALONE? But I can't... I can't..."

Ruby took the little bat in her arms:"There's nothing to be afraid of, Scaredy. Staying alone is not so bad. Look on the bright side: you'll have a lot of time for yourself."

"Maybe you're right, Ruby... Wait, and Boo Boo?"

"He has a meeting with his boss, I think"

"Ohhh, ok, ok, you've convinced me, you can leave as you like."

Ruby hugged Scaredy. "Thanks, thanks so, so much!".

**So, that's it. The next chapter'll require a quite long time. See you next time.**


	2. All Alone

**The second chapter is finally up. But now I'll work on all my other stories, so this will be suspended for a while. Said this, let's go.**

Chapter 2: All Alone

"Ok, Scaredy, I trust you. Take care of the house. Now I have to go, Skullboy is waiting for me. Come on, Doom." Ruby took her bag and walked out, followed by the small black cat.

Scaredy closed the door. "It will be a relaxing period of mosquitoes and hammock... I can't wait." thought the little bat, going in the kitchen.

But, while he was taking his favourite mosquitoes, a thud resounded, followed by a moan: "...Help...Help...Is there someone?...". Scaredy jumped and looked around, but there is no one in the room, exept him. " Oh dear! What's happening? RUUUUUUUUBY!" He ran upstairs into Ruby's room, but he found it empty. In that moment he realized that there would be no Ruby to confort him.

"Oh dear. Ok, Scaredy, don't be afraid. Remember that Ruby trust you, and you don't want to disappoint her, do you?" he drew a deep breath and headed to his room. After a while he heard a long shout and some thuds, as if someone was hitting a thick huck of metal. "Oh no, there they were again." he began to run. When he finally arrived in his room, he closed and barricaded the door and crouched under the sheets.

"What's happening here? This is not good, I'm sure there is something bad beyound that strange noises. Ahhhh, probably BooBoo was replaced by a more terrifying ghost. This would explain his sudden leaving (he used to informed us about his meetings). And now how are we going?"

Scaredy imagined all his friend frightened by a big and terrifying ghost. "We could no longer live here with that thing. We should get out of this house..." tears came into his eyes "NO! I can not let him take away from our house! I never forgive myself for this! I MUST SEND HIM OUT OF THERE!" the little bat jumped out and started to search under his bed. After a while he pulled out a bulky pack and a book titled _Ghost hunting for amateur_. "I knew that my YamWeen present would be useful sooner or later. Thanks so much, Skullboy!"**(1)** He sat on the bed and started reading...

**(1) Maybe I should give some explanation: some time ago Skullboy has noticed how much Scaredy is afraid of BooBoo, so he give him a small equipment to trap ghosts and the mentioned book. He only wanted to provide Scaredy a defense against BooBoo frequent pranks, but he said he didn't want to use that because it isn't nice to trap a friend. (Obviously, this is part of my fic).**


	3. All Alone, Part II

Chapter 3: All Alone, Part II

A suden ring broke the silence in the house. Scaredy woked up with a scream and looked around with eyes wide open. Shortly after a second ring sounded. The little bat breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that was only the phone ringing.  
>He jumped out of the bed and, left the room, found himself immersed in darkness. "Oh no, I forgot to replace the candles! Thanks goodness I have a flashlight." He pulled out it and made its way up to the phone.<p>

"Hello..." said with a shacky voice

"Hey, Scaredy, how is it going?"

"RUBY, IT'S YOU. Oh you can't imagine how happy I am to hear you. Please you must come back as soon as possible, there is..." A series of thuds sounded, startled him. Scaredy  
>brightened the corridor with the flashlight, but , again, there was no one.<p>

"Scaredy... are you ok?" asked Ruby with a worried tone.

"NO NO NO NO NO, I'M NOT OK! RUBY, PLEASE, DON'T LET ME ALONE WITH THAT THING!"

Ruby's voice softened "Ok, listen to me: I know that it's hard for you to be alone for so much time, but we can't come back until tomorrow. It's really important for me. Scaredy, I completely trust you, because I'm sure that, behind all that fear, there is a brave heart. Remember all my advices.**[1]** Come on, you can do it!"

Scaredy took a deep breath "You're right! I'm not going to disappoint you, Ruby. Take as much time as you need. I... Wait a moment... Did you say that it was really important for you? What are you doing that's so important?"

"Ehhh... Oh dear, It's late, I have to go. Bye."

Scaredy putted down the phone and listened attentively. The thuds weren't no more. "Well, for now it's gone. I have to take advantage of this." He ran into his room, picked up the big pack and opened it. Then he pulled out a sort of vacuum cleaner with a reed horn and some glass capsules. He shouldered it and inserted a capsule in its back.**[2]** "And now, let's send that ghost out of here!"

**Notes:  
>[1] In the episodes "Grounded in Gloomsville" and "Shaken not Scared", do you remember?<br>[2] I'm not good with descriptions.**

**Author's comment:  
>Isn't that incredible how Ruby is able to bring out the bright side of the people? If she can make Misery happy, she can also make Scaredy brave.<br>**


	4. In the Darkness

**Now our fearfull bat will experience the apex of horror of isolation. Well, to be honest, after writing this chapter I didn't sleep very well because of nightmares. You're warned.**

Chapter 4: In the Darkness

Scaredy left the room and passed the beam of the flashlight along the entire corridor. After a few steps, he heard a long shout: "SCAAAAAAAAAREDY, COME ON!" He jumped and felt the urge to run into his room and hide himself. "Remember Ruby's advice: when you're afraid, hold on a security object..." He tightened his ghost trap and began to walk the corridor completely in the dark, exept for the cone of light emitted from the flashlight.  
>Seen from that perspective, the house where he have been living for so long appeared completely different. The creaking of the floor, usually ignored, caused his heart leapt at each step. After a while, Scaredy started to feel observed. It seemed that all the pictures was looking at him with evil eyes. Outside the winows, the shape of the trees stood out like deformed hands...<br>A crash broke the silence. Scaredy jumped and dropped both the flashlight and the ghost trap. While falling to the ground, the flashlight went out and in a moment the little bat was shrouded in the darkness. He looked around, but he could see only the black wall of gloom. He could only hear the sound of his steps. "But, I'M MOTIONLESS! OH NO, IT'S HIM, IT'S COMING..." He lean against the wall and fall on the ground. In the meantime the steps were sounded closer, and closer, and closer. Scaredy started to tremble with fear and to let out a groan. The steps were closer. Tears came in Scaredy's eyes and he started to sob. The steps were closer. Scaredy imagined himself chased by a huge and evil ghost. The steps were further. Scaredy prick up his ears. The steps were truly further and further.  
>He took out a sigh of relief, then he started to finger the floor around him. After a while his finger were clasping the flashlight. He switch it on and looked around. The ghost trap lied near him, fortunally unbroken. A bit further, he saw a mirror on the ground, probably the source of the crash. He headed to the mirror, with the intent to put it back, but, as soon as he picked it up, he saw his own reflection, with the eyes wide open and red with tears, the lineaments drawn in a mask of pure terror. He shouted and dropped the mirror, then he passed his hands across his face. "I'm not the bat I used to be. I'm sure that neither Ruby could recognize me." He pick up the ghost trap and headed to the great hall.<br>"I've never imagined that our house could be so terrifying. I was scared by a falling mirror! Normally, I didn't, because Misery has accustomed us to this sort of things, and..."  
>He got to the hall. The moonlight filtered through the window, lighting up the room and casting long shadows. Scaredy was consoled by getting out the dark corridor. He went downstairs, leaned the flashlight and the ghost rap on the table, got close to the huge window and looked outside. Gloomsville landscape has nothing unusual: the same violet grass, the same blue sky,... "I'm sure Ruby is having a great time with Skullboy. And I'm here, alone, with a strange and inquietant presence..." he sighed "I missed everyone. Even BooBoo... If only I wasn't alone..."<br>Another shout sounded "WHAAAAAAT ARE YOU DOOOOOOOING? HEEEEEELP MEEEEEE!" But this time Scaredy was ready. He listened carefully and, after a few moments, he was quite sure that the shouts came from the Cript. He took the ghost trap and, after a while, he went in the Cript.  
>The first thing the little bat noticed was that the room was incredibly cold and silence. He moved a few steps in. Now that he was so near to the source of his fear, Scaredy felt strange. he was feeling like the ghost was behind himself. He could feel himself surrounded by many ghosts. He couldn't see anything, but he knew that they are there. He would have ran, but he didn't know where he could go. And then he felt the ghosts in the darkness. No, there were not ghosts, it was the DARKNESS ITSELF! IT WAS ALIVE! Tentacles of darkness were holding the little bat, not allowing him to run. He saw (or thought to see) a monstrous being made of pure gloom. It looked at him with evil, red eyes and grinned.<br>Scaredy, without realizing it, aimed the dark monster with the ghost trap and pulle the trigger. Immediately an acute buzz sounded and a huge vortex of energy erupted from the reed.  
>The monster moved back and Scaredy take advantage of it. He dropped the ghost trap and ran off...<p> 


	5. Returning

Chapter 5: Returning

Ruby got off the trolley and stretched. Then she looked at Skullboy and said "What a long trip. I'm numb". Skullboy putted an arm through her waist. "But it was worth it." whispered. Ruby smiled and then they walked toward the house.  
>Once she opened the door, they noticed the entire house immersed in darkness. After a few seconds Scaredy ran to meet Ruby and hugged her legs.<p>

"Scaredy, here you are... " she noticed his eyes opened wide and his lineaments drawn "Ahhh, Scardy, what's happened to you?"

The little bat bursted into tears "Oh, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, I'm so happy to see you... You cannot immagine what I've found... I... I... " Scaredy sobbed

Ruby took Scaredy in her arms and started to caress him "Calm down, Scaredy, now I'm here. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"NO, NO, NO, RUBY AN EVIL MONSTER IS ROAMING AROUND THIS HOUSE!" shrouted the little bat.

"But, how is it possible? We live in this house for ages, and we haven't noticed anything before..." replied Skullboy, but a long and penetrating shrout sounded "RUUUUUUUUUBY! RUUUUUUUBY!"

"OH NO! IT'S HERE! SEE, THERE IS AN HORRIBLE MONSTER! I'VE SEEN IT!"

Ruby listened carefully to that shout, then she burst out laughing. "Oh, Scaredy. Let's go. We go to your 'evil monster'."

"NO, PLEASE, RUBY..." but Ruby were just going to the Crypt "Oh, dear... "

Ruby got to the Crypt, with Scaredy on her head, paralyzed by fear. After lighting some candles, she headed to a huge closed metal door. The thuds sounded again. That door seemed to be the source of that strange noises. Ruby grabbed the doorknob and opened the door.

Immediately, Misery rushed out, stumbled and fell to the ground.

"See, Scaredy. It's not a monster, It's only Misery." said Ruby. Scaredy shifted his gaze from Ruby to Misery, without saying a word.  
>Then Misery got up, looked at Scaredy with angry eyes and said "YOU! Why did you ingore me?"<p>

Ruby took out Scaredy from her head and hugged him: "Misery, please, don't you see that he's shocked. Why ignored?"

"This morning I went to the Crypt for a walk. You know how I like it. But suddenly the door closed and I was trapped here. I've tried to call Scaredy for a lot of time, but he not only ignored my shrouds, but also ran away from it. That reminds me what's happened to my great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, when she was trapped in an attic for about two months. After that she used to raving about strange entities that talked to her. It wasn't a good sight."

"Well... and now that this bad experience has ended, what about a chocolate and whipped cream?" replied Ruby

Hearing this word, Scaredy revived from his apathy. "Yeah, it takes me right"

They went upstairs, away from the darkness and the coldness of the Crypt.

**So, my first Ruby Gloom fanstory has came to the end. Obviously this is only the first. Check my profile page if you want to know my plans for future stories. See you next time.**


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